New Fears Eve
by ChaosNight
Summary: When a long awaited trip to the Burrow takes a sinister turn, Jordan Quinn is forced to admit that dark forces are at work. She must gather all her courage, or risk losing Harry forever. A sequel to The Wrong Train
1. Chapter 1

_Notes: This is the second book in the series I'm writing so if you haven't read "The Wrong Train", then it may not make a huge amount of sense! But basiaclly the summary of "The Wrong Train" would be... "__Jordan Quinn, a muggle somehow stumbles onto platform Nine and three quarters and after much confusion ends up on the Hogwarts express...then Hogwarts, where she meets and befriends Harry, Ron and Hermione. It's not a very long story, just my way of introducing a new character into the wizarding world)_

_Discalimer : I do not own any of the characters this story (Except Jordan) No Copyright Infringement Intended :)_

_So this is what happens next!_

**"Jordan Quinn was, at first glance, a perfectly normal teenager. She went to school, watched television and listened to music, like most other girls her age. Only what most people didn't know is that she was hiding a secret, an almost unbelievable secret that had started in September with a mix up at the train station and ended in an enchanting adventure. It was the reason that owls were frequent visitors to her house, the reason she spent half her time writing letters and the reason that even at fifteen years of age, she still believed in magic"**

Jordan Quinn slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling, her mind still hazy from sleep. The room around her was dark, but a determined sunbeam had crept in through a crack in her heavy curtains and was dancing away on the wall beside her, quite uninvited. For a moment she just lay there, silently contemplating whether or not to go back to sleep, when through the drowsy cobwebs clouding her mind, a thought occurred.

"It's today!" she shrieked, now finding herself sitting bolt upright, very much awake.

A moment later she was on her feet, flinging the curtains open to survey the world outside, not even flinching from the light as it flooded into the room. It looked cold out there, a thin layer of frost covering everything making it seem to glitter in the cool December sunshine.

"It's today!" she said again as she crossed the room over to the calendar pinned to her wall

But her excitement wasn't because of Christmas day, for that had been and gone, and the 25th had a large red cross through it to mark it's passing. As did the 26th, Boxing Day was over too .The 27th had gone too, a day that felt to Jordan, like it had dragged on forever. She'd spent all her time eating the leftover goodies from Christmas day and wishing that the time would pass more quickly so that soon it would be tomorrow. The 28th, not a special day to most people, the day after, the day after, the day, after Christmas, but Jordan smiled as her eyes passed over it, for written on the calendar for that day in big red letters, was just one word... **"Harry"**

Still fizzing with excitement she began to get ready, having a quick wash before climbing into the clothes she had picked out the night before. She brushed her hair and tied it up neatly, before deciding to wear it loose, taking it out and brushing it once again. Then made her way down the stairs to find the rest of her family were already up and about.

Her step-dad Steve was perched on the sofa engrossed in the morning paper, he looked up briefly to smile at her, then went back to reading once again. Her mum was watching television while munching on a piece of toast and her younger brother and sister, Ryan and Rhianna were sitting on the windowsill, gazing intently at the sky outside.

"They seem to have got it into their heads that Harry will be flying here on a broomstick!" her mum explained, smiling a little.

"Or a bike!" Ryan added, not shifting his gaze at all.

"Wonder where they could have got that idea!" Jordan sniggered sarcastically and sat herself down on the chair.

"So how is he getting here?" Steve asked, looking up from his paper once again.

"Well he didn't say exactly!" Jordan said, suddenly feeling a little apprehensive "he just said he'd be here at midday!"

"So he could be flying then!" her mother joked " How would I explain that to the neighbours?"

Jordan grimaced to herself, in all her letters to Harry it had never occurred to her to ask how he was getting here. In her world it was usually taken for granted that you travelled by car... She wondered silently if Mr Weasley could drive a car... at least one that travelled along the ground anyway.

"I made you a cup of tea about half an hour ago, I expect it's a bit cold now!" her mum continued.

"It was shivering when I went in there!" Steve chuckled.

Jordan glanced over at the clock and was disappointed to see that it was only ten o'clock, if she was this nervous now, what was she going to be like in two hours time? She had been looking forward to this day for so long, that now that it was actually here, she could hardly believe it. She had missed Harry terribly and though he was constantly sending her letters, full of all the goings on at Hogwarts, it wasn't the same as having him face to face. All she'd wanted to do was tell her friends all about him, but she had promised to tell nobody about her adventures at Hogwarts last September and she'd kept her word, fearful if she didn't that the ministry would have a change of heart about wiping her memory.

"The hand won't move any faster if you stare at the clock y'know!" her mum joked.

"What?" Jordan asked, snatching her eyes away innocently.

"You've been staring at the clock for over an hour!"

"I've been reading this actually!" Jordan added defensively, turning the page of a magazine she had on her lap, having not read a word of it her mum just nodded, a sly smile on her face

"Oh when's he coming?" Ryan moaned, still perched on the windowsill, Rhianna had since lost interest and was now sitting in front of the television, glued to some festive film or another "hey Jordan, there's another one of those owls flying this way"

"Course there is!" she said bitingly.

"No honest... it's that nice white one!"

At these words Jordan leapt to her feet and skipped over to the window, just in time to see Hedwig land on the ledge outside.

"Let her in, let her in!" she ordered.

"Alright, alright!" he grumbled as he pushed the window open. Hedwig immediately hopped in, onto the windowsill, a small package and letter attached to her leg.

"He's not coming is he?" Jordan muttered to herself, her heart sinking and tears filling her eyes.

"Don't jump to conclusions... Read the letter!" her mum instructed.

Jordan sighed as she leaned over an untied the package from the owls' leg, then took a deep breath as she slowly tore open the envelope, very aware that everyone in the room was now watching her. She reached inside and pulled out a piece of paper, along with another, slightly smaller envelope. She looked at it curiously then read the words that had been scrawled across it.

_Do not open this till you have read the letter_

"Ok!" she mumbled and unfolded the letter, taking another deep breath before reading to contents.

_"Dear Jordan,_

_There was a bit of a problem with transport"._

Jordan's heart sank even more.

_"But don't worry, we came up with a solution... However, it involves you coming to us rather than us coming to you_!"

Her disappointment turned to confusion.

_"The parcel included is for your brother and sister. You said that they were excited I was coming and I didn't want them to be disappointed, this should take their minds off it! (Oh and don't worry the effects only last a couple of__hours)"_

She regarded the parcel for a moment then held it out to Ryan.

"This is for you and Rhia apparently!" She informed him as he snatched it from her grasp and immediately began to tear off the brown paper that covered it. She then continued to read.

_Apologise to your parents for me for the sudden change of plan, I hope they don't mind too much._

_Right now, about the other envelope. You should say your goodbyes before you open it. DO NOT TOUCH WHAT'S INSIDE UNTIL EXACTLY TWELVE O'CLOCK! Make sure you are touching your bag too, or it'll get left behind_

Harry xx 

"Well?" her mum asked expectantly, just as Jordan finished reading "Is he coming or not?"

"I really don't know" she shrugged, handing her the letter "See if you can make any sense of it, cause I can't"

Ryan and Rhianna were both examining two large packets they had taken from inside the parcel.

"They're sweets... I think!" Ryan announced "they must be new I've never heard of them before... "

"Well that makes no sense at all!" Jordan's mum concluded' handing the letter back to her!"

"Tell me about it!" she sighed, beginning to examine it once again, hoping this time it might be easier to understand.

"LOOK AT ME!" Rhia screeched, breaking her concentration almost immediately, she looked up and felt her breath catch in her throat as she found her little sister was now hovering a few inches off the ground, grinning from ear to ear "I'm flying, Well sort of!"

At this revelation, Ryan put three of the sweets in his mouth, before either of his parents could try and stop him. Almost immediately he too lifted off from the ground, floating almost twice as high as Rhianna.

"Not fair!" She complained, scoffing two more quickly, rising up to the same level and sticking her now blue tongue out at him.

For a moment Jordan's parents stood, completely stunned by what was unfolding around them, their mouths wide open as they watched two of their children bob around the lounge as if walking on the moon.

"Dad... Do you want one?" Ryan asked.

"No" he replied, striding over to them "... I want five!"

As he too began to float Jordan caught sight of the clock and realised midday was only minutes away.

"Mum... It's almost time!" she croaked.

"Time flies!" her mum chuckled "And so does your family it seems".

She gave her daughter a big hug.

"You'll have to peel them off the ceiling!" Jordan chuckled, nervous at how close to twelve it was getting, and still without a clue of what was going to happen.

"You're joking aren't you, I'm going to join them in a minute" She joked, also trying to hide her nervousness "You will send me a text message to let me know you're Ok"

"Course Jordan reassured her "if not I'' send you an owl eh!"

"It's almost time, you better open it!"

Jordan reached over and grasped hold of her coat, putting it on before grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder as instructed in Harry's letter. Then cautiously she opened up the second envelope and peered inside; to find what looked like a small twig sitting inside.

"Have a good time Jord" Steve called, clearly unable to get down now that he was up "be good!"

"I will!" Jordan smiled, looking at the clock once again, to find only ten seconds to go.

"Have a great time!" her mum said, hugging her once again, squeezing her tightly.

Nine... Eight... Seven...

"I'll see you in a week!" Jordan assured her as she stepped away.

Six...Five... Four...

Jordan took one last look round at her family, hovering around in thin air.

Three... Two...One.

She thrust her hand into the envelope, brushing her fingers against the twig and suddenly there was no living room anymore, in fact there was nothing, not even the ground beneath her feet. It felt as though she was moving very quickly, the wind rushing against her face, tossing her carefully brushed hair in all directions. She didn't know whether to feel afraid or exhilarated and didn't really have the time to decide because as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

She found herself tumbling to a grassy floor that until a second ago had not been there and for a moment just sort of lay there trying to catch her breath, her mind much too jumbled to make too much sense of what had just happened.

"I remember the first time I travelled by Port key!" A familiar voice muttered from close by.

Jordan's heart skipped a beat and she looked up sheepishly to find Harry standing over her.

"You could've warned me!" She objected weakly.

"I could!" he smiled mischievously "But where's the fun in that?"


	2. Chapter 2

"You've got a wicked streak you have!" Jordan remarked breathlessly as Harry strode over and offered her his hand. She gladly took it and together they got her back on to her feet.

Suddenly after months of letter writing they both seemed to find themselves at a loss for words and just looked at each other rather awkwardly, waiting for the other to say something. Jordan was so pleased to see him that her heart was racing and she could feel her hands shaking a little, but as much as she wanted to speak, no words offered themselves to her.

"So... where are we?" she asked eventually, breaking the silence.

"The Burrow" Harry replied, turning round and pointing to a rather odd shaped house behind them "Ron's house"

"Where is he then?"

"Waiting down at the house with Hermione"

Once again they just stood and stared at one another for a moment.

"You better give me this!" he advised taking the envelope containing the twig from her "Mr Weasley will know what to do with it"

"Oh Ok!" she shrugged

"Shall we go and see them then?" he asked,

"Yeah... lead on!" Jordan replied, unable to stop herself feeling disappointed, this wasn't exactly the reunion she'd hoped for.

He started walking, but had only taken a few steps when he stopped and turned round to look at her once again.

"What?" she asked.

"Erm..." he paused, looking a little flustered "Erm... Did your brother and sister like the sweets?"

"Oh yeah, they were floating around the room when I left" She replied, chuckling at the memory.

"Oh good" he smiled and turned round to walk once again, almost immediately stopping in his tracks and spinning around to face her once more.

"Erm... Your parents weren't too annoyed about the change of plans were they?"

"They were floating around the room when I left too... so no!" she assured him.

"Oh right! He nodded; looking a little frustrated and turned around again. This time he took two steps before coming to a standstill for the third time and turning round to look at her yet again.

"Are you alright?" she laughed; his rather bizarre behaviour was starting to look like some kind of weird dance step.

"I'm fine!" he blushed, unable to stop himself from smiling too.

"Only you're acting a bit...Well ... Odd!"

"Am I? Sorry!" he shrugged, rotating round and taking a few steps away from her. This time however Jordan didn't even begin to follow, which was just as well, because merely seconds later, Harry had abandoned his walk and was facing her once again, mouthing wordlessly.

"Ok, you're starting to scare me now!" she giggled.

He grimaced, shook his head and took a deep breath.

"What I'm trying to say is..." he paused, reaching his hand out toward her "That I'm really glad you're here!"

"So am I!" Jordan grinned, leaning over and grasping hold of his hand , her heart pounding even harder than before.

"That wasn't so bad!" he muttered to himself, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You were starting to worry me a bit!" she teased "But that goldfish impression was great"

"Ha ha!" he rasped sarcastically and began to walk once again, pulling Jordan along behind him "C'mon let's go to the house. Ron and Hermione are dying to see you too!"

They walked in through the doors and Jordan gasped. On the sofa the cushions were plumping themselves and the broom was sweeping the floor completely unaided. A duster was flying around the room, wiping down every surface and the washing up was leaping out of the sink, where it was dried by a tea towel which seemed to have a mind of its own, before putting itself away in various cupboards around the room.

"I could use this on my bedroom!" Jordan muttered, imagining how much time she would save.

"Jordan!" Hermione sang as she walked into the room, closely followed by Ron "How are you?"

"Good Thanks" she smiled.

"Ah you're here!" A cheery looking woman remarked as she walked into the room. Her red hair left her in no doubt as to whom she was; though she introduced herself anyway

"I'm Ron's Mum" she announced "It's so lovely to have you here"

"Thank you!" Jordan replied.

"I hope you'll excuse me, but I just need to pop out to the shops, I'm running low on a few things!"

"Course not!" Jordan shrugged.

"Behave all of you while I'm gone!"

"We will!" Ron sighed, looking a little embarrassed.

"I was thinking more of Fred and George actually!" Mrs Weasley smirked, grabbing her bag off the side and striding over toward a large fireplace on the opposite wall "I shouldn't be too long!"

"Mum... Mum!" Ginny called as she came charging into the room " can you get me some more ink, I've run out!"

"Yes dear! She smiled, reaching into a pot and grasping a handful of fine black powder, before going over to stand inside the arch of the fireplace.

Jordan wondered silently why she was the only one in the room, who thought this the least bit strange. Presumably they all knew something she didn't.

"Diagon Alley!" Mrs Weasley said, her voice slightly raised and threw the powder at her feet.

Jordan leapt back in shock, colliding with Harry and stepping on his toe as Mrs Weasley was engulfed in bright green flames, before disappearing completely. There was a momentary silence, then everyone in the room, except Jordan, of course, burst out laughing.

"The look on your face was so funny!" Ron guffawed, falling back onto the sofa.

"You're not funny y'know!" Jordan declared, her heart pounding once again, but this time for a very different reason " I nearly jumped out of my skin!"

"We know... We saw!" Ron cackled

Just then Fred and George walked into the room, having heard the laughter.

"What's so funny?" They asked in unison.

"Mum just went shopping and Jordan nearly had a heart attack when she left!" Ron informed them.

"Sorry we missed that!" Fred chuckled, winking at Jordan.

"I'm glad I amuse you all!" Jordan added bitingly, although she was not really annoyed, just a little startled.

"C'mon!" Hermione beckoned " Ginny and I will show you where you're sleeping... You can put your bag up there too.

"Oh all right!" Jordan agreed, glancing back at Harry, she considered apologising for stepping on his foot, but as he was still chuckling away with Ron, she decided he really didn't deserve it "I'll see you in a minute!"

"Hang on... We don't just walk up the stairs her!" Ron informed her.

"You don't?" Jordan asked nervously.

"Only kidding" He sniggered.

"Honestly Ron!" Hermione tutted and started up the stairs, shaking her head. Jordan glared playfully at Ron and followed her.

"You'll be sharing with Ginny and I!" Hermione told her as they walked into a large room containing three beds, one of which had a large ginger cat curled up asleep on it.

"That's your bed!" Ginny offered helpfully, pointing to the nearest one. Jordan gladly threw her bag down on it, only aware of how much her shoulder was aching once she'd put it down.

"This house looks much bigger inside than outside!" She remarked.

"That's cause it is!" Ginny replied, flopping down on her bed.

"But... How?" Jordan began "No don't tell me... Magic!"

"So did you have a nice Christmas?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah I did actually, how about you, I take it you spent Christmas with your Mum and Dad?"

"Yeah, I got here yesterday"

"It's nice to have some more girls here, usually I'm totally outnumbered!" Ginny added.

"So have they got any other horrible surprises lined up for me I should know about!"  
"Not that I know of!" Hermione shrugged "Although I wouldn't put it passed them!"

"Neither would I!" Jordan muttered, taking off her coat and throwing it down on the bed. As she did this, her mobile phone fell out of the pocket reminding her of her promise to her mother "oh I must text my Mum!"

"You won't get a signal!" Hermione warned her and on picking it up Jordan found she was right.

"I promised I'd let her know I was all right"

"Use Pig... Ron won't mind! Ginny advised her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah he could use the exercise, he's starting to look a bit chubby... which when you're as small as he is, isn't a good thing. I keep expecting Hedwig to mistake him for an Owl treat and eat him!"

Jordan quickly wrote a note to her family, letting them know she was safe and well and had arrived at her destination, then tied it to Pigwigeons leg (which is not as easy as it sounds with such an excitable bird), then sent him on his way.

After having a bit of a chat, the three girls made their way back downstairs. It was obvious to Jordan that Harry had been watching the door as she walked through it, but looked away quickly to pretend as if he hadn't.

"Jordan's used Pig to send a message to her Mum!" Ginny told Ron, he just shrugged.

"Couldn't get a signal on my mobile!" Jordan informed him.

"You're what?" he asked.

"My mobile" she repeated, he was still looking at her blankly "Mobile phone... you know!"

Now he was shaking his head as she were talking complete nonsense, so she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, then held it out to him. He took it off her cautiously and just looked at it for a moment.

"It's a telephone Ron... One you can take anywhere!" Hermione explained.

"Oh a telephone!" he remarked, the penny finally dropping "You should show this to my Dad, he loves everything to do with muggles!"

Both Harry and Hermione looked at Jordan waiting for her to react to being called a muggle, but she didn't, she just smiled and shook her head. She had decided that as muggle wasn't an insult, she really shouldn't be offended when someone referred to her that way, after all, that's exactly what she was!

"Hang onto it if you want and show him... I can't use it anyway!" she told him.

She looked over at Harry who was sitting down on the sofa now that the cushions had finished fluffing themselves. He smiled warmly and patted the empty space beside him, signalling her to join him. She did not need asking twice and crossed the room quickly, sitting down next to him. Almost immediately he draped his arm around her shoulders and the pair of them sank back into the seat, seemingly unaware that everyone in the room was watching them and smiling in a goofy fashion.

It was then that Jordan noticed a clock on the facing wall. But it was not an ordinary clock, instead of numbers it had words such as home, work and school. And instead of a minute and hour hand it had ten hands, all with pictures of people on them, that were smiling back at her. Nine of them had blazing red hair and she could clearly recognise Ron, Ginny, Fred, George and Mrs Weasley. The tenth hand looked somewhat newer then the others and on it was a picture of Harry.

"Unusual clock!" She remarked.

"We just had Harry put on!" Ron told her "mum says he's like a member of the family"

She glanced at Harry to find he had a huge grin on his face and was regarding the clock proudly.

"That's nice!" she whispered to herself, still looking at Harry. It was obvious from the look in his eyes how much the gesture meant to him and even though she hardly knew them, she felt a wave of fondness for Ron's Mum and Dad, just for making Harry so happy.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by. The house was so busy and full of chatter that there wasn't a dull moment. At dinnertime they all sat down around the table and ate a huge meal that Mrs Weasley seemed to concoct from nowhere. Mr Weasley was completely baffled by Jordan's mobile phone and studied it for over an hour before returning it to her and quizzing her on all things muggle related. The atmosphere was wonderful and it felt like Christmas all over again. The conversation lasted late into the evening and it was Ginny who first stood up and announced she was going to bed.

"I'll come with you!" Hermione agreed, rising drudgingly to her feet.

"Good grief, is that really the time?" Mrs Weasley asked, rather surprised "I didn't realise it was so late, you should all be in bed really!"

"I'm going anyway" Ron yawned "I'm done in!"

"Me too" Harry agreed, standing up, then reaching out, taking Jordan's hand and pulling her up too.

The five of them made their way slowly up the stairs, said tired goodnights and went their separate ways till only Jordan and Harry remained on the landing.

"I've had a really nice day!" She told him.

"Me too, it's nice that we are all back together..." he agreed, then added sadly "Even if it is only for a little while!"

"Let's just enjoy it while it lasts!" she continued, not wanting to think about leaving when she'd only just arrived.

"Goodnight then!" he smiled, leaning over and kissing her quickly on the lips, trying to do it before his nerves failed him.

"Goodnight!" she beamed.

"See you in the morning"

"C'mon Harry... I want to turn the light off!" Ron called groggily from inside their room.

"I'm coming!" Harry groaned.

And the two of them headed off to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Jordan awoke next morning to the sound off shouting downstairs. She sighed loudly before opening her eyes and sat up sluggishly to find Hermione and Ginny had also been awoken by the racket and were looking around, slightly bemused.

"Who is that?" Hermione asked.

"Fred and George!" Ginny groaned, lying back down and throwing the covers over her head.

Jordan and Hermione just listened for a minute to see what all the fuss was about. One word came up several times... Snow!

Hermione climbed out of bed, walked over to the window and peered outside

"Yep... It snowed!" she announced

"You don't say!" Ginny murmured sarcastically from under the covers.

"Ginny's not a morning person!" Hermione whispered quietly.

"I heard that!" she objected.

"C'mon let's go and get some breakfast!" Hermione suggested as she slipped on her dressing gown. Then looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced "Just let me brush my hair first"

"Who are you trying to impress?" Jordan teased.

"No one!" she blushed.

"I'll give you a clue. It starts with an R!" Ginny giggled from beneath her bed covers.

Jordan did her best not to smile, under Hermione's watchful gaze and also put on her dressing gown, then examined her reflection over Hermione's shoulder and was dismayed by just how untidy her hair had become during the night too.

"I better do mine too!" She said and began brushing profusely.

"Who are you trying to impress?" Hermione smirked sarcastically.

"I'll give you a clue!" Ginny began

Jordan and Hermione just looked at each other, then as if reading each other's minds, grabbed hold of their pillows and threw them right at Ginny!

"Oi!" She complained crawling out from beneath the covers and looking at them. Then promptly threw her pillow at them.

At that moment the door barged open and Fred and George came charging in, stopping when they noticed the pillows all over the floor.

"What are you doing?" George asked.

"Nothing" The three girls chorused.

"Looks like you're having a pillow fight!" Fred remarked.

"No we weren't!" Hermione uttered, clearly a little embarrassed.

"Well if you're in the mood for a fight!" George continued, seeming not to hear her "There's a snowball outside with your name on it!"

"Breakfast will be ready soon!" Mrs Weasley called as the three girls trooped outside, ushered on by Fred and George.

"Oh my god it's freezing!" Jordan complained, pulling her coat tightly around her.

"Morning!" Ron said cheerily, not looking in the least bit bothered by the freezing temperatures, though his nose was almost as red as his hair.

Harry strolled over to Jordan, smiling.

"How did they talk you into it?" He asked.

"They just went on and on... and on till we caved in!"

"I never thought in a million years they'd get you out here Hermione!" he continued.

"Neither did I!" she frowned.

The world around them looked like a different place to the one she'd arrived in yesterday. The surrounding green fields were now just an endless plain of glittering white as far as the eye could see. It was as though someone had crept in over night and thrown a snowy blanket over the world.

"Right!" George began "it's going to be girls against boys!"

"Hang on " Ginny objected "there's more of you!"

"Yeah well... were bigger!" Fred added rather absent-mindedly.

"And your point is?"

"You're smaller, more agile, you can move faster!" George explained, chuckling to himself

"I think that's about the most stupid thing I've ever heard!" she muttered grimly.

"The boys strong hold is those rocks over there... you lot can have the trees here!"

"Remind me... How old are you again?" Hermione sniped sarcastically.

"Let battle commence!" Fred yelled and he, his two brothers and Harry ran over to the nearby rocks, disappearing for merely seconds before a barrage of snowballs came hurling towards them.

"Hide!" Jordan yelled and they all ran for cover behind the trees.

"I can't believe I'm out here at this time of the morning doing this!" Ginny complained.

Just at that moment the door to the house opened and Mrs Weasley appeared.

"Oh there you are!" She smiled "Breakfast is ready!"

"Were a bit tied up mum!" Ginny informed her as more snowballs flew over,

"Fred and George's idea I presume!" she tutted.

"Yes and they've got us outnumbered!"

"Well let's teach them a lesson shall we!" she said, smirking, as she reached into her robes to produce her wand.

"What's she doing?" Jordan asked sheepishly.

"Negus Tayfus!" she voiced and waved the wand above her head. Seconds later the air was filled with snowballs, but not from Fred and George. They just came shooting out of the ground, as if thrown by invisible hands and whizzed over to where the boys were hiding There were hundreds of them, far more than the three of them could've ever mustered up.

"Nice one Mum!" Ginny grinned.

"Now you can come in and have your breakfast in peace, they'll never notice!" Mrs Weasley chuckled as she disappeared back inside the house

"C'mon!" Hermione chirruped "I can smell the bacon from here"

Not needing any more encouragement the three of them sneaked back into the house, shrouded from the boys sight, by the trees they were supposed to be using as shelter.

"This is really cruel!" Jordan uttered, feeling a little guilty, mainly because of Harry.

"Think of it as pay back for the Portkey!" Ginny giggled

"And the floo powder!" Hermione reminded her!"

"Well, when you put it that way, I don't feel guilty at all"

"They're still at it you know!" Hermione laughed wickedly as she looked out of the window about ten minutes later.

"You think by now they would have sussed something was up!" Ginny giggled as she pushed her empty plate away, breathing a loud sigh of contentment "Thanks Mum!"

"Yes thanks Mrs Weasley1" Hermione and Jordan chorused together.

"You're welcome " She replied as she stacked up their plates and put them into the sink, smirking to herself as she too glanced out of the window at the rather one sided snowball fight taking place outside."So what are you all up to for the rest of the day?"

"Don't know really!" Hermione shrugged.

"Staying warm "Jordan suggested taking a sip of her steaming hot tea.

"Avoiding the boys after they find out what we've done!" Ginny added.

Just at that moment the door flung open and slowly Harry, Ron, Fred and George trudged into the house, covered from head to foot in snow, all that was visible of them were their faces which did not look at all amused.

"Ooh look, the abominable snowmen!" Ginny mocked. Hermione burst out laughing, showering the mouthful of tea she had been about to swallow, half way across the room. Jordan tried very hard not to laugh, but felt a loud snigger erupt from her lips without her brains consent, Mrs Weasley just turned her back and got on with the washing up, hiding any amusement she may have felt.

"I suppose you think you're really funny!" Fred rasped.

"No" Ginny laughed "but you are, you should see yourselves, honestly"

"How long have you been in here?" Ron said grouchily, sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs, sending snow all over the kitchen floor

"About ten minutes!" Hermione replied.

"But, we've only been out there ten minutes!"

"That's right!" Ginny tittered

"You mean to say, that while we've been out there freezing, you've been in here having breakfast?"

"Yep!"

"Here you are boys!" Mrs Weasley said, placing two plates down at the table, shortly followed by two more "Warm yourselves up!"

They all threw off their coats and boots and quickly sat down at the table, Harry choosing the chair beside Jordan, throwing her a playful death stare as he tucked into his bacon and eggs,

"So who won?" Ginny asked.

"Eh?" Ron replied, confused.

"The snowball fight, who won?"

"Well you've been disqualified for cheating!" Fred sulked.

Mrs Weasley opened the door and fleetingly waved her wand, muttering some magic words or another under her breath. Immediately the snowballs stopped appearing and peace was restored outside as she closed the door once again.

All of a sudden there was aloud bang from the window. Everyone looked over to find a rather dazed looking owl teetering on the windowsill.

"Oh Errol!" Mrs Weasley sighed as she crossed the room and opened the window. The owl hopped in gratefully, then waited as the letters he was carrying were untied from his leg, before bobbing over to a bowl of food and water on the side nearby.

Mrs Weasley looked at each letter in turn, before handing one to Hermione and one to Harry, then tearing the remaining one open herself.

"Dumbledores throwing a New Year party!" she announced "he's invited the whole family... Oh how lovely!"

Straight away Harry and Hermione began to tear open their envelopes eagerly.

"I've got one too!" she proclaimed triumphantly.

"Me too!" Harry smiled, His grin widening as he read it.

"Where is it?" Ginny enquired, taking the invitation from her mother so she could examine it herself.

"Where else?" Mrs Weasley scoffed "It's at Hogwarts of course, The Great Hall will be perfect"

"Back to Hogwarts!" Fred piped up happily

"I have missed the old place!" George added with a dry smile.

"I'm not sure they'll feel the same way about you!" Ron laughed

Although Jordan tried not to, she couldn't help but feel a little left out. She'd come here to spend New Year with them all and now they all had other plans.

"What's up?" Harry asked, her disappointment obviously written all over her face.

"Oh nothing!" she lied, forcing a smile on to her face.

"Cheer up Cinderella... you will go to the ball!" he grinned, handing her the invitation. She looked at him questionably then began to read.

_**"Mr Harry Potter and Miss Jordan Quinn are Cordially invited to a New Year gathering at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"**_

She didn't really need to read any further; she felt her spirits lift and a smile creep onto her face.

"I'm invited too!" she told them, looking at Harry and smiling "But how did he know I was here!"

"Magic!" Harry replied and winked at her "or it could be that I told him that you were coming to visit before we broke up for Christmas!"

"You don't think Malfoy will be there do you?" Ron asked darkly.

"With his dad proven to be a Deatheater... I doubt it!" Hermione replied "but what on earth am I going to wear? I didn't bring anything formal with me!"

"Neither did I!" Jordan grimaced.

"Oh don't worry I'm sure I can sort something out for you!" Mrs Weasley said brightly.

Hermione and Jordan exchanged rather alarmed looks at her suggestion and Ron began to chuckle into his tea. Either his mother didn't hear or just chose to ignore him as she made her way into the living room and sat down with the morning newspaper.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Hermione whispered, Ginny just shrugged but Ron snorted loudly.

"Maybe she's going to lend you something of hers" George smirked "I can just see them in mums clothes can't you George?"

"Oh yeah definitely!" His brother replied bitingly, before putting far too much fried bread in his mouth all in one go.

"You'll be the belles of the ball!" Ron continued in the same tone, ignoring the reproachful looks Hermione was casting in his direction.

"You're not annoyed with me are you?" Jordan asked Harry quietly as everyone continued to bicker amongst them selves.

"No!" he replied sincerely "I just wish I'd thought of it!"

After they'd all warmed up and dried off. Fred decided they should all go back outside to get cold and wet again and have a snowman building competition, where no one was allowed to use magic. Ginny was in no mood for it and went upstairs to search for something to wear at the New Year Party, leaving the rest of them to it.

It was, of course, still freezing outside, but as they could think of no other way to fill the day, they all agreed and got wrapped up once again, before trudging outside and commencing the contest.

Fred and George made a snowman of each other, which of course resulted in two identical snow people standing side by side. Ron did Hermione, making her head far to large for her body, so she gave her snowman impression of him an extra-ordinarily big nose as revenge. Harry did his best to make his snowman of Jordan flattering, which is not as easy as it sounds, then walked over to Jordan's creation, looking over her shoulder and remarking.

"It doesn't really look like me does it?"

"I haven't finished yet!" she objected as she began to trace two circles around his eyes with her finger, joining them with a line in the middle to make his glasses.

"Bit better!"

"And the finishing touch!" she continued, carving a small lightening shaped scar on her snowman's forehead "Perfect!"

They all stood back and admired their creations, six snow people standing to attention.

"Now lets bring them to life!" Fred announced pulling his wand from his coat.

"What?" Jordan spluttered, rather taken aback by the very suggestion.

"Honestly it's so easy to wind you up!" he laughed, tucking it back out of sight and turning to go back inside the house

"That's right... Pick on the Muggle why don't you!" she rasped sarcastically.

As they went back into the house they found a rather worried looking Ginny sitting on the sofa staring into space.

"Where's Mum?" Ron asked.

"She's gone shopping!"

"Again... What for this time?"

"Dress fabric!" she said, seeming to have to force the words out of her mouth.

All at once Ron and his brothers burst out laughing.

"Shut up will you, it's not funny!" Ginny complained.

"Yes...Yes it is!" Fred chuckled.

"Why don't you tell her you don't want her to make you one!" Hermione suggested.

"I tried... But I couldn't say it; she's so excited about it... Oh what am I going to do?"

Seconds later, there was a flash of green fire and Mrs Weasley emerged from the fireplace, rather breathlessly, carrying three bulging bags of something.

"You were quick!" Ginny said, quickly putting a smile onto her face where a frown had been only moments before.

"I found some real bargains!" her mother grinned happily and headed over to the stairs "I'll be in the loft if anyone needs me, I should get started right away... I'll be down to measure you in a little while!"

"Ok!" Ginny croaked meekly, waiting till her mother was out of ear shot before speaking again "See how happy she is!"

"I'm sure she'd understand!" Hermione encouraged.

"Well why don't you tell her then?"

"Me... Why?" Hermione asked, startled.

"Well there was three bags of fabric there, one was for me... Who do you think the other two are for?"

For a second silence descended, then Ron and his brothers dissolved into fits of the giggles once again as Jordan and Hermione exchanged looks of understanding.

"I'm really looking forward to this party now!" Ron snorted.

"Don't be so horrible Ron, remember how you felt when you had to wear your old dress robes to the Yule Ball!" Hermione snapped.

"Yeah I do... But I don't remember getting any sympathy from you... Why was that again?" He sniped rather caustically.

"Here we go!" Hermione muttered quietly to Jordan.

"Oh yes, it was because you were too busy dancing with Victor Krum"

Jordan looked at Harry questionably.

"Don't ask!" he mouthed, shaking his head.

At this point Hermione stormed off upstairs muttering angrily to herself and stamping her foot on each step loudly.

"I... Erm better go and see if she's alright!" Jordan uttered rather sheepishly.

"All I did was mention Victor Krum!" Ron snapped, talking to no one in particular.

"Y'know Ron if I didn't know better, I'd say that sounded like jealousy!" Jordan remarked and quickly trotted off, casting a backward glance to see that Harry was smiling to himself in agreement.

After a bit of coaxing Hermione was eventually persuaded to come back downstairs. Rons bad mood remained however, at least up until Mrs Weasley came down to measure Ginny, Jordan and Hermione for their dresses, at which point he seemed to cheer up quite rapidly.

Another pleasant evening slipped by and all too quickly it was time for bed. Once again Harry snatched a goodnight kiss from Jordan on the landing, and they both made their way to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

_Jordan found herself standing outside in the snow, alone. The sky was dark and although there wasn't a cloud to be seen, not one single star could be found in the heavens above. She looked to the ground, wondering how she'd got here and found the snow all around her was crisp, clean and untouched. There was no sign of life, not even her own footprints._

_All of a sudden she heard someone laughing from behind her, a cold, whispering cackle that sent chills down her spine. She spun round; a taste of panic in her mouth, to find that there was no one there. Instead, there stood the snowmen they had made earlier on, side by side, just as they had left them._

_Taking a deep breath she stepped towards them, barely feeling the cold snow beneath her bare feet, stopping just in front of them and regarding them for a moment. They didn't look so friendly in the dark, their jovial smiles looking more like ghoulish grins as they gazed at her through the darkness._

_Suddenly and without warning one of the snowmen began moving, Jordan felt a scream catch in her throat and leapt backwards in fright. Realising as she looked again, that it wasn't actually moving, but in fact melting right before her eyes. The snowman she had made of Harry was slowly disappearing, corroding away as the two beside it remained untouched and whole, until there was nothing left but a pile of snow to show it had ever been there at all. _

_"He will crumble!" the voice whispered from behind her "He will fall!"_

Jordan found herself sitting bolt upright in bed and took a deep breath to stem the panic surging through her veins. She looked around and was relieved to see Hermione and Ginny asleep in their beds nearby... Everything was as it should be, but still she had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, a wrenching forbidding feeling that would not leave.

"I need a drink!" she whispered to herself as she threw the covers off, then climbed as quietly as she could out of bed, wincing as the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. Hermione and Ginny seemed not to hear her, so she continued on her way out of the room and made her way silently down to the kitchen.

Once there she grabbed a glass from the side and proceeded to the sink to fill it up, glancing casually out of the window as she did. The sight that greeted her sent chills down her spine and she felt the glass slip from her grasp, landing in the sink with a loud clatter. For outside five snowmen proudly stood... Five snowmen and one pile of snow.

Jordan gulped nervously, her mouth becoming suddenly dry. She wasn't still dreaming was she? She'd just got out of bed... hadn't she? With growing doubt that she had woken up at all, she edged over to the door and pushed it open, staring out at the familiar scene before her. But as she took a step outside, the cold snow oozed between her toes making her shiver...the chill of the snow was real, the cold wind that rattled the trees was real... was she awake or not?

"That's not possible" She whispered to herself

"Jordan " a voice called, she spun round quickly and was relieved to find Harry standing in the doorway

"You scared me!" she sighed.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" she replied, feeling a little foolish now that she was no longer alone, the fear that had remained with her from her dream, subsiding at the sight of a friendly face. He glanced behind her at the snowmen and she couldn't help noticing that he didn't look at all surprised to find one of them gone.

"C'mon, you better come back inside, you'll freeze out there!" he smiled. She nodded and walked back inside, trying hard to ignore the rather haunted look in his eye. He closed the door behind her and turned the key quickly, then bolted it too.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine... I just thought I heard a noise!"

"That was me sorry, I dropped a glass when I saw..." she began, but tailed off. It was evident he wasn't listening to a word she was saying. He was just staring out of the window, seemingly searching for something.

She began to feel uneasy as the silence continued, so took a deep breath.

"Harry!"

"What?" he replied, looking somewhat startled as if he'd momentarily forgotten she was even there.

"Is something wrong?"

"What woke you?" he asked, completely ignoring her question.

"What?" she replied, confused.

"What woke you up?" he persisted

"I... had a bad dream!"

"About the snowmen!" he whispered, looking back out of the window.

The feeling of foreboding in Jordan's stomach worsened.

"How did you know that?" she asked, stepping away from him nervously.

He didn't answer, just continued to stare out of the window

"Harry, what's going on?" she demanded, tears prickling her eyes.

"We should go back to bed!" he said suddenly, snatching his gaze from the windowpane "if Mrs Weasley catches us out of bed, she'll think were up to no good!"

He walked passed her, grasping hold of her hand giving her no choice but to follow him as he made his way back upstairs. Once on the landing he stopped and looked at her.

"Promise me you won't go back out!" He said, but it was more of an order than a request.

"I... Promise!" she uttered, still feeling apprehensive "but will you tell me what' s going on!"

" I wish I knew!" he shrugged.

"I'm seriously freaked out here"

"Don't be!" he smiled, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze "let's just get back to bed".

He didn't make his way back to his bedroom as they parted company, but watched her take every step back to her room, only leaving when she closed the door behind her.

Once inside she just stood there for a moment, trying to make some sense of what had just happened. Hermione and Ginny had obviously not heard her drop the glass in the sink, so had that been what had roused Harry, or was it something else? She stepped quietly over to the window and peered out of the curtains at the snowmen.

"How could he have known?" she breathed "How could I?"

Just then she caught sight of something in the corner of her eye, moving nearby, she looked round and involuntarily gasped. For standing not to far from the house was a magnificent Unicorn. But this was not at all like the ones she had seen at Hogwarts in September. It was jet-black from horn to hooves, it's glossy coat seeming to shine, almost glow, in the dim light.

"Jordan what are you doing?" Hermione asked, Jordan's heart leapt at the sound of her voice. She looked round to see Hermione sitting up in bed, rather bleary eyed.

"I was just looking at!" Jordan began; casting her eyes back out of the window to find the unicorn had gone.

"Looking at what?" she yawned.

"Nothing!" Jordan sighed, figuring Hermione had seen enough Unicorns to no longer be impressed by one, particularly in the middle of the night "Never mind!"

"Go back to sleep!" she muttered, collapsing back into her pillow.

"Good idea!" Jordan murmured, climbing back into bed, her troubled mind still swimming with questions. She closed her eyes and hoped that sleep would take her and after an hour or so... It did.


End file.
